Travelling EU on Moped.
 

Hey HU.
I recently came home from hitchhiking through Europe and I felt like I didn't really see that much because most of the time I was hitchhiking on highways.
I'm saving up some $ for a moped, because I don't have money for a motorcycle nor the license. A moped license in Denmark is 1/20th of a motorcycle one, so yeah. Now, because it's a moped I can't be driving on the highways and it won't have a license plate on it - how would I go about travelling the borders?
In Denmark (where I'm from) Mopeds just drive on the cycle path and I'm wondering how it is in the rest of EU.

Thanks a bunch for reading, and if you're unsure of what I mean, I'll be happy to answer any misunderstandings.

NW.

:oops2:
I forgot to say that it's a Derbi Senda S/M that I'm contemplating purchasing.
It doesn't go very far, about 12km/litre - any reccomendations?
I don't want the usual "moped-look" but something along the dirtbike/motorcycle look.
Thanks again.

NW

My understanding of EU law is that if it is legal in country of origin it is legal in all EU countries although you might have to argue that point with the local police if they disagree. You will have to look up local laws for each country, I know it is legal for mopeds to travel on cycle paths in the Netherlands but not in the UK.
A moped sounds like a good way see Europe at a steady pace, have a good trip and welcome to the HUBB.

Yeah, that's what I've heard too, like you can get a motorcycle license @ age 16 in most other EU countries but you have to be 18 in Denmark.
But if you go to, let's say Germany and take the license there and bring it back to denmark (@ age 16) it's completely legal.
But I've also heard that in some countries you can drive the mopeds on the same roads that the car uses - like Germany.

And many thanks! :D

That 12km per litre would bother me, my Enfield does 32 KM litre. It might be cheaper to get a motorcycle licence then ride on a little c50 or something similar. 2,000 miles at 12Km per litre will cost about 400 euros for fuel, more if two stroke. at 32 km litre it would cost about 150 euros. That is a 250 Euro saving on your first trip, plus you will only have to stop one third of the times to re fuel. weigh this against the cost of a licence.. I have no idea of the cost of a Danish licence so not sure if this helps.

About €1300 + the cost of a motorcycle, which naturally is a bit more expensive than an moped.

A 4 stroke moped such as a Honda would be better, I know it is not a moped but my Honda C70 did 50 km/litre which should give you some idea what to expect.

Good plan!
I don't know about the rules in europe,sorry.

But a 4 stroke will be beter on the budget.
I know that nowerdays 50cc mopeds with gearing are mostly (dirtbike look)
2 strokes .Mabey a old honda 4 stroke moped puting dirtbike handlebars on it can be an idea.Or Mabey a DAX, monkeybike??


Good luck ,:funmeteryes:

Thanks!
Yeah, a 4 stroke would indeed be a lot better on my budget, but I can't seem to find any good looking bikes which are 4 strokes.
The only one I found was a Yamasaki YM50-8B, which is VERY cheap for a new bike. About €1340 and it goes 50km/l and has can carry 13l.
That's 650km on 1 tank.

Can anybody say something about the "Yamasaki"?

Yamasaki YM50-B8 - Yamasaki YM50-GYS - Yamasaki YM125-3 - Yamasaki YM150-A - Yamasaki YM150T-A - Kingway -Import af nye Yamasaki knallerter og motorcykler - Bike Danmark Aps

Well they look fairly smart although that says nothing about the quality, if it is from a dealer with good spares back up they might be a good buy but don't buy from the internet with no spares or service back up. A better buy might be a used bike from a Japanese brand, although few of them are made there any more their quality is still pretty good.

Can anybody say something about the "Yamasaki"?

Looks like a copy of a honda engine.There are heaps of different brands that are using them.Ask the dealer about spares or what type of engine it is.
I know there are millions of users of chineese bikes ,some are good and cheap.
Have a look at the bike and check it out yourself.
In your case this might be a good option, knowing that almost al the others are 2 stroke.

Good luck! :funmeteryes:

The frame and plastics Look like the suzuki gs 125!

'

I guess I will call tomorrow.
Many thanks for the help, and yeah, you're right about the comparisement!

I kind of thought about a Rieju RS2 Matrix too..
Those things are technically mopeds, they look hella rad and can go as much as 120km/hr if tuned properly. Thoughts?

Hi NW:

Welcome to the HUBB.

I believe that when you refer to a 'moped', you mean a pedal-assisted small motorcycle with an engine size of 50cc or less, is that correct? The type of vehicle that the Swiss refer to as a 'Mofa'?

If that is the case, you might find that the restrictions that apply to a moped/mofa vary considerably from country to country. By this I mean some countries might only permit the moped to be used on roads with a 60 km/h or less speed limit. This could cause you very significant logistical problems getting from one city to another if the only available (paved) road has an 80 km/h limit on it.

For sure, if you are planning on doing any kind of international touring on your moped, you should think about getting a pretty good quality dedicated GPS device (a waterproof one). The better quality GPS devices allow you to impose restrictions on the automatic route generation such as "no toll roads" and "no highways". You might find those restrictions apply to you (by law) in some countries.

Michael

What I understand a 'moped' to be (note the pedals)
http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6f600994.jpg

This is what a modern moped Looks like.

Yeah, but a tuned Derbi Senda can easily go 80-90km/h! ;)

And haha, that's not the kind of moped I was talking about!

Thanks a lot for your help though, I definitely need to get a good GPS, I hadn't quite thought of that.

Ah, OK, then we have a difference in interpretation of the word 'moped'.

I interpret the word 'moped' to mean a pedal-assisted motorcycle. The picture you posted above appears to me to be a small displacement motorcycle without any pedals at all.

To the original poster (NWY): What do you define a moped as? Without knowing what you mean by the term, it's difficult for others to offer accurate and thoughtful answers to your question.

Michael

From a German POV:

Mofa = ca. Fahrrad mit Hilfsmotor: max. speed 25 km/h, 49 cc; these days you need a quite easily achievable drivers license, if you are born after 01.04.1965. License obtainable from 15 years on.

Moped = small motorbike with pedals: pedals were supposed to start or break the bike. I remember them from my childhood, these days we are talking of oldtimers. Max. speed 40 km/h, 49 cc. European license AM in Germany needed. Only actual moped these days according to Wikipedia: Peugeot Vogue.
Moped = acronym for anything motorcycle, even used for a 1600 cc, in a fun way.

Mokick = small motorcycle with kickstarter
Max. speed 45 km/h (always in Germany), max. 49 cc, European license AM. East German mokicks made before the reunification like the gorgeous Simson Schwalbe are legal to run max. 60 km/h.

Small scooters with max. 4 KW power, 49 cc and max. 45 km/h are being treated like mokicks.

In Denmark, things might differ.

From my misguided youth I remember the Honda CB50, a four stroke model with the reputation of being both rugged and easily being tuned over the then legal limit of 40 km/h .... just sayin´.

Damn you for bringing up touring on 49 cc! Again and again it is giving me the strong craving for buying a Simson Schwalbe ..... must resist .... aaaarghhh:helpsmilie:

In the UK a moped is normally a 49cc automatic (twist and go) - i.e no gears and both brakes are on handlebars...:scooter: Nomally limited to about 30mph but can be de-restricted to increase speed to around 40-45 mph..

Mopeds often used by lots of 16yr old scumbags racing up and down my street keeping me awake at night. Ignorant riders who shout abuse at you whenb you politly ask them to go ride someware else can easily be slowed down by a brick or long piece of 4 by 2 :thumbup1:

A moped may be cheap and get you where you want but for under € 1000 you can buy an old but neat 400 or 500 cc motorcycle.
For touring in Europe, I would prefer a 400cc or more motorcycle because you can ride all roads and keep up with other traffic and even (if necessary) ride on the autobahn or Autostrada and don't have to worry about cycle paths and local moped rules.

It is a lot safer to be able to ride the same speed as the other traffic and not be overtaken by big trucks and cars all the time.

Also, you have a little more luggage room and it is more comfortable then a small moped.

Next to my GoldWing GL1200, I have a Honda CB400T from 1987 that I bought a few years ago for only a few hundred euro's that I ride regular and enjoy very much so I know where I'm talking about.